Samsung Names New Mobile Design Head

Samsung Electronics named a new head of mobile design, a move it described as a “realignment” that frees up the current head to pursue long-term design strategy across all of the company’s businesses.

Bloomberg

In an emailed statement, Samsung said Lee Min-hyouk, a vice president, will now lead Samsung’s mobile design team. The previous occupant of that role, Chang Dong-hoon, an executive vice president, will “focus more on his role as head of design strategy team,” which oversees long-term design strategy across all of the company’s businesses spanning mobile phones to home appliances and televisions.

Lee, 42 years old, designed Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphone. The design team is part of the mobile business and final say on smartphone designs ultimately lies with Samsung co-chief executive J.K. Shin.

A Samsung spokesman declined to provide further details about the changes.

Chang said his team was responsible for some of the features on the Galaxy S4 smartphone, including eye tracking technology that can detect when a user is looking at the phone, according to an article on the website of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where Chang got his master’s degree and is a member of the board of governors.

In an interview with the magazine Fast Company last year, Chang said he tried to inspire his design team by taking hot air balloon rides in Africa, among other things. He was involved in the design of several Galaxy smartphones and the Galaxy Note series, according to local media reports.

Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, went on sale last month to mixed reviews, though the company says that initial sales are outpacing those of its predecessors. The company periodically shuffles executives, and is in the middle of a shift now.

The change comes as Samsung faces a slowdown in its mobile business, its biggest profit generator.

Last month, Samsung’s first-quarter earnings showed that its smartphone margins remained flat from a year ago, highlighting the need for the South Korean technology giant to keep costs low amid uncertain demand for its new flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone.

Update: This post has been updated to include additional information about Lee and Chang.